Sunday, 22 April 2007

My experience at University

I dedicate this piece to some of my teachers at U.N.T. I wish they could read it some day.

After finishing Secondary school, I went to study English at Facultad de Filosofia y Letras. The firs two years were really great. I could pass all the subjects I had to with no difficulty except for one: English Grammar II. The following year I had to take the third year course, which indeed I took. But I was not able to finish it due to the fact that I had to pass Grammar II first. Having this in mind, I spent a whole summer devoting my reading to only one book: A Student’s Grammar of English by Randolph Quirk, which I believe many must have known. Finally, the exam day came. But the outcome was not as I wanted it to be. But I did not give up, and since that moment I tried six times to pass this subject. I cannot tell you how painful those moments were. I felt as if the whole world was upon my shoulders. Because of this, I had to loose one whole year, as I could not sit for the exams of the Subjects belonging to the third course. At that moment, my biggest dream was taken away from me. AND NOTHING HAS BEEN THE SAME SINCE THEN. But after some time, I could see some things I did not perceive before. Namely, that my teachers at university did not care much about their students. That they only cared about their own pride and prejudice. They believed themselves to be like gods, and they had to be respected for that. I think that most of these teachers tend to forget that they were students once. I did not want them to help me pass all the subjects, but to be there when I needed to solve my difficulties with certain topics related to the English Grammar and some other stuff because it is a tough subject to learn, as we do not have a solid knowledge about the Spanish Grammar.
Anyway, the last time I sat for Grammar I passed the written part, but not the oral. God knows why I didn’t because up until now I still cannot figure it out. What is even sadder is that there are still many students who still are in the same situation I was three years ago. I hope they are able to pass Grammar some day, and they can become English teachers at last.
The best decision I could have ever taken was to go to Lola Mora Institute because there I could prove myself I was not such a looser, and that I had a future ahead of me. And I realised that for teaching two things are required: knowledge and love for teaching. Otherwise, we can have a Master degree but if we do not have passion for helping others know more, we have failed in our profession.
If I am mistaken, please let me know.

1 comment:

CAL said...

I'm sorry about your experience at UNT! I do agree about the values that a person should uphold to become a teacher. Maybe a third hidden one is that one needs to keep one's ego on check. But this usually happens naturally, I think, if you are drawn to the profession out of your love of helping others learn. I'm glad you've found your experience at Lola Mora more 'humane'. On a different note, we forge our own teaching style based on a combination of little aspects of all the teachers we've ever had. Make sure you keep your faith strong and that in the future you do not repeat mistakes made by individuals with weak convictions, namely that you do not make your students the subject of your disdain or indifference because you were a victim of such treatment before. And that, instead, you'll become a considerate, demanding and sensitive teacher always ready to help your students achieve greater depths and heights of knowledge. Based on the way you reflect on your experience, I'm sure that'll be the case. :)